(Credits: Columbia / Sony BMG)
Thu 16 October 2025 21:45, UK
We’re all guilty of getting swept up in the illusion that Fleetwood Mac are just part of the furniture of rock music – now getting towards the era of being a little aged and antiquated, but undeniably with some great stories to tell.
Yet, just like any other band on the scene, they haven’t been around forever and had to go through the process of learning the ropes just like everyone else, even if that time has faded into distant memory now. If there were ever a school for superstar musicians, you can imagine the slew of icons that would roll off the production line. But contrary to popular belief, Mick Fleetwood and his gang were hardly the greatest group of golden pupils.
Long before they even knew the names of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, or were aware of the constant swirl of drama and allure that would surround them over the course of the decades to come, Fleetwood and his original core bandmates of Peter Green and John McVie were given a masterclass in everything it means to be truly rock and roll. In some ways, the comment about the school was made in jest, but really, if you were to find anything closest to it, it would be the band John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers.
Having hosted stints for everyone from Eric Clapton to Mick Taylor, when the three future Fleetwood Mac amigos rocked up to that door, knowing that they were about to not only learn a few tricks of the trade but also be put somewhat in their place, it wasn’t without a certain level of trepidation. Green, as the resident sonic mastermind, had joined up to the band first, before inviting his two mates along – but Fleetwood particularly had some reservations.
“When Greeny said he wanted me in the Bluesbreakers I was like: ‘What do you mean? I can’t do that!’,” he later recalled. “But very quickly Greeny said: ‘That’s exactly why we want you – because you can’t do that’. Peter Green had a well-worn phrase that we still use, especially me and John, as a blueprint. He used to say: ‘Less is more’. And that’s what he saw in me.” We all know now that Green had an incredible casting eye for spotting talent, but it’s fair to say that he had his work cut out in convincing the rest of the Bluesbreakers that his two friends were the right choice.
“It’s no secret that me and John McVie drank too much,” Fleetwood then openly admitted. “He was laid off a couple of times for being disorderly. But because he’s such a great bass player John Mayall always took him back. But the two of us was just a bridge too far.” Under the thumb of a true band leader, who was disciplined and always kept everyone in line, was evidently a true wake up call. The future frontman even described it “like being part of a fraternity, with a schoolmaster”.
Yet it was still more than clear that, despite a few harsh lessons and tough home truths, that the experience of being recruited for John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers was one that definitively changed the lives of every person who ever graced its presence, not least Fleetwood, Green, and McVie. It’s without question that if this band never existed, we wouldn’t have many of rock and roll’s greatest exports. The fact Fleetwood Mac are just one example is testament to that power.
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